Casa da Nuvea: part vii, the future kitchen

It's Saturday morning, and I'm browsing airfares for my upcoming trip to Portugal.

And so the daydreaming of what will be done on my little olive farm begins anew...Which means it's time for another update on the progress of the renovations.

This, dear readers, is what will one day be the kitchen.

 

This is what it looked like before we pulled out all the brambles and weeds.



Ta-Da! Would you just look at the progress?? It will be finished in no time.

Really.



I'm not quite sure what these gigantic rocks will be used for...they look like some sort of sculptural element, so I'd like to build around them but not sure what that will look like... I'm thinking a glass wall of some kind, with shutters to protect during inclement weather, or simple French doors, running the length of the room, to throw open on warm days and let in the scent of  wild rosemary from the garden. And a skylight, perhaps, to brighten the dark, winter days. There will definitely be a long, wooden farm table and a "rustic" chandelier...



The best part was dicovering...this. The beautiful, original bread oven. I can't wait to bake my first loaf of pao caseiro, the traditional country-style bread of Portugal.

Casa da Nuvea: part III interior

Well, here it is. Your first glimpse at the interior of my little project. The last time I was in Portugal I had planned on staying in the house, not knowing in what condition I would find it. I was prepared to "camp" inside, sleeping bag and all, but as soon as I saw all the dust and dirt and spiderwebs, well, my aunt's house suddenly seemed like a much better idea. I can't wait until I can actually spend my first night inside the house this coming summer.

I told you it would be scary. I've been told the workers have already removed all the spiderwebs and run a power vac through the whole house, removing the dust and dirt. I hope they left the birds' nests. I liked those.



The floors are in remarkably good shape and I should be able to restore them without too much trouble. There was one small section by the window that had to be replaced because it had rotted away, but the rest is still good.



Each of the bedrooms has a charming little window with shutters. Even though the green trim is a typical color used in the homes of this period and place, I plan on stripping them down to the wood. And I'll paint the walls in the traditional whitewash.



This cute window and cupboard are in the room with the fireplace; in what used to be the 'kitchen". I use the term loosely because that's all there is, a fireplace. No sink, no stove, no refrigerator. Before farm-to-table became a foodie trend, it was simply a way of life, born out of necessity.



The fireplace has a beautiful oak beam running across the top. Too bad it was painted over. But I can fix that.

I plan on removing all of the white, "bathroom" tiles and doing...something else.



When we lifted the old linoleum covering the hearth, this is what we found - beautiful terracotta tiles with a wood border.



I love, love, love this door. I'm going to strip it to reveal the natural wood underneath. And do you see the tiny mouse door at the bottom? I might need to keep it as an interior door for another part of the house because it's just too...perfect.



This is the outside of the yellow door. If you look closely you can see the large keyhole. The original brass key was still attached! I have it hanging on my bedroom wall at home.



These stairs lead up to the attic. I'd like to turn it into a loft bedroom. But it'll need a lot of work. You see, it doesn't even have a floor...or a ceiling, for that matter, but look at how beautiful and strong those beams are!



Well, those are all the photos I have of the inside for now. I can't wait to take more this summer to show you all the progress...

Casa da Nuvea part II: the exterior

OK, so before I post photos of the interior of the cottage and scare everyone off from ever wanting to stay there, I thought I'd show some more of the exterior that lets you see the place a little better.



The collapsing building on the left is the front part of the barn which is just big enough for a cozy sleeping nook. Someday. Not right now. Right now something would fall on your head.



A view of the back of the house…the little windows are for the sitting room and bathroom.



This is the side wall of what will one day be the kitchen. Right now, there's a bread oven. And the sky. I guess it's a start. I can serve bread and water if you come over.



Stepping back a little from the house is the current gate. If you look closely, you can see the state of the art security system - ahem - piece of twine, holding it together. Soon to be replaced by mounted lions and wrought iron. Just kidding.



The backside of someday kitchen...

 

The first photo is of view of the barn from the back, which will hopefully be turned into a separate living and sleeping area for guests. I'm thinking skylights and windows in there somewhere…and a fireplace.